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Death penalty sought in killings of Harrison County couple

Death penalty charges have been filed against two teens accused in the grisly murder of a Harrison County couple last August.

Harrison County Prosecutor Otto Schalk formally filed death penalty charges on Wednesday against Kevin Andrew “Drew” Schuler and Austin Bryan Scott, who were arrested last summer following the slayings of Gary Henderson and Aseneth “Senie” Arnold.

Schalk and lawyers for Scott and Schuler acknowledged in court that the parties had hit an impasse in negotiations over a guilty plea deal in exchange for sentences of life in prison without parole.

Defense lawyers told Harrison Superior Judge Roger Davis that their clients weren’t ready to accept the deal, leading Schalk to follow through on his threat to file the charges after an October deadline passed for a decision from both young men.

Schalk said Wednesday that the parties still may reach a deal, but the new charges add leverage. “It would be premature to say there’s no other resolution,” he said, adding that the defense lawyers indicated they’d prefer to go to trial. No dates have been set, but April 25 status conferences have been scheduled.

Scott’s public defender Chris Sturgeon said he thinks pursuing death charges is “not necessary and there are other options available” to resolve the cases.

The brutally of the murders in rural Greenville, Ind. amazed even veteran investigators. The couple was found in their beds, on separate floors of their home, by an employee the morning after the murders. The pair operated a horse-drawn carriage business and pony rides for birthday parties and festivals.

New documents filed Wednesday allege the teens burglarized and robbed the Henderson-Arnold home after fatally stabbing Henderson and beating Arnold to death with a carriage implement, called a single tree. Included in the affidavit was the allegation that Scott stabbed Arnold in the eye with a knife during the attack.

In seeking death penalty charges, a prosecutor must prove that the murders were committed during the commission of other crimes, such as burglary and robbery. The fact that there were two murders also made the crimes eligible, Schalk said.

Reporter Grace Schneider can be reached at 812-949-4040 or follow her on Twitter @gesinfk.